Pluggable transceivers are defined through multi-source agreements (MSAs). MSAs are agreements for specifications of pluggable transceivers agreed to by two or more vendors and promulgated for other vendors and network operators to utilize. MSAs allow other vendors to design transceivers to the same specifications reducing risk for vendors and operators, increasing flexibility, and accelerating the introduction of new technology. Exemplary MSAs include XFP, XPAK, XENPAK, X2, XFP-E, SFP, and SFP+. Additionally, new MSAs are emerging to address new services and advanced technology. Each MSA defines the transceiver's mechanical characteristics, management interfaces, electrical characteristics, optical characteristics, and thermal requirements. Because of MSA specifications, MSA-compliant pluggable transceivers are standardized among equipment vendors and network operators to support multiple sources for pluggable transceivers and interoperability. As such, MSA-compliant pluggable transceivers have become the dominant form of optical transmitters and receivers in the industry.
Advantageously, MSA-compliant pluggable transceivers ensure engineering re-use and compatibility between various applications and the physical media dependent transceivers. Further, equipment vendors realize streamlined manufacturing and inventory control by removing wavelength specific decisions from the manufacturing process. For example, all line cards are manufactured the same, and the pluggable transceiver module with the desired wavelength (e.g. 850 nm, 1310 nm, 1550 nm, coarse wave division multiplexed (CWDM), dense wave division multiplexed (DWDM), etc.) is plugged in as a function of the specific application or development configuration. Network operators and service providers have adopted pluggable transceivers to reduce sparing costs. Further, significant cost reductions are realized by MSA standardization of pluggable transceivers because of multiple independent manufacturing sources.
Various MSA specifications exist such as for SFP, SFP+, and XFP. Relevant interface standards include SFF-8431—SFP+, SFF-8432—Improved Pluggable Form factor, SFF-8083—Improved 0.8 mm Card Edge Connector, SFF-8089—SFP Rate and Application codes, SFF-8079—SFP Rate and Application Selection, INF-8074—SFP (Small Form Factor) Transceiver, and INF-8077i—10 Gigabit Small Form Factor Pluggable Module (XFP MSA), each of which is available online at ftp.seagate.com/sff/ and the contents of each is incorporated by reference herein.
With these MSAs and with future defined MSAs, physical size is small as networking equipment becomes increasingly dense with increased capacity. As such, physical manipulation of pluggable transceivers is a difficult problem in terms of inserting, removing, and latching the pluggable transceivers in host devices or equipment.